The Rise and the Fall
by Skitterific
Summary: Seattle is a city in Washington in which the Gorillaz went to for a gig during the Escape to Plastic Beach tour. Many things happened there, some good, but most bad. Especially for 2D. Bad things just kept happening to him there. But maybe something good can come up from all the bad? 2D/Reader Contains crude and foul language and some sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

Sitting in the back of a tour bus wasn't exactly ideal for comfort. The seats were hard, and it was really difficult to get comfortable. The smell was terrible, like old gym socks and rotten eggs. Not to mention there was something red and crusty near the seat 2D was in. All in all, it was awful.

But 2D, after being cramped in the bottom level of Plastic Beach, didn't care. It smelled worse than a garbage dump there. In comparison to the musty and disgusting air on Plastic Beach, sitting in the back of a smelly tour bus for hours on end didn't seem so bad. He hoped that he didn't have to go back there, though he knows that he'd have to since Murdoc said that they had to do the video for Rhinestone Eyes.

2D sighed, not wanting to remember anything about Plastic Beach. Just thinking about the color pink made him want to vomit. He has found a new hatred for the color. At least, the shade of pink that covers Plastic Beach. It hurt his eyes way too much.

2D looked out the window, his head resting on one hand, just watching the scenery go by. Blurs of green, red, yellow, and orange raced past as the bus continued moving forward. The colors, which were amplified by the midday sun, plus the movements of the bus, besides the harsh bumps that they sometimes go over, were enough to lull 2D to sleep. The colors, the trees, the greenery; it all reminded him of some sort of Aspen forest. It gave him the idea to make one of the songs he made on his iPad named Aspen Forest. It has a nice sound to it.

Maybe 2D could get some sleep, at least for a few hours before they reach their hotel. He hasn't slept well ever since they left Plastic Beach to go on tour. As of now, they were on the "America leg" of the "Escape to Plastic Beach Tour". They still had a month and some left for touring around America and Europe and a week until the next concert. Well, at least it was better for himself since Damon Albarn had always seemed to steal the show everywhere they went. How they even showed up ahead of the actual band Gorillaz, 2D had no idea. Maybe they made a deal with the guy in the weird mask and cape? It'd make sense since Murdoc seemed to hate that that guy and vice versa.

2D's eye lids started to close, his breathing slowing down a bit. Before his eyes fluttered closed, he saw a big blue sign that said "Welcome to Washington State". When he closed his eyes, he felt the bliss of his mind resting, not worrying about the past or things to come.

Right at that moment, someone roughly shook 2D's shoulder, waking him up instantly.

"Get up, face ache! We're 'ere."

2D groaned as Murdoc's hand left his shoulder. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, confused as to how they were at the hotel already. Looking out the window, 2D saw that the sun had actually set. When did that happen?

2D groggily got up, his joints and back slightly aching. Their last stop had been several hours ago, and that was just to go to the bathroom and grab a few snacks, though Murdoc hurried 2D so much that he didn't even have time to grab a snack, so he was quite hungry.

Remembering to grab his iPad which happened to be right next to him, 2D walked off of the tour bus in a somewhat happy mood. That was, until he tripped on the last step off the bus. His face made contact with the concrete as his iPad skidded away from him, and meanwhile a few feet away, Murdoc was having a laugh, amused at 2D's pain while Cyborg Noodle, who was carrying both Murdoc's and 2D's luggage, stared with apathy.

2D got up and wiped the small grits of rock off of his clothes and face until he suddenly remembered the iPad. He gasped in realization and ran to get it. Picking it up and flipping it over, he noticed a giant crack in the screen, running from one end of the screen to the other.

2D tried to turn it on, but it didn't work. Nor did it flicker.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," 2D muttered to himself.

After a few more attempts, the screen finally flickered to life. 2D let out a happy little chuckle as he checked to see if the apps still worked, and low and behold, they did. 2D sighed in relief and lifted his head up from his iPad to see that Murdoc had already gone inside the hotel that they were staying at.

2D hurried after him, being careful not to drop his iPad and make the damage worse than it already was. He'd have to get it fixed.

The inside of the hotel was pretty moderate, not as cheap as 2D was expecting. Murdoc was usually picky about which hotels they stayed at since he didn't exactly like wasting money. But since the Plastic Beach album was selling pretty well, it wasn't really a shock.

Murdoc nor Cyborg were in sight, so 2D nervously walked up to the front desk of the hotel and noticed that no one was there. 2D glanced around the lobby to see if anyone who looked remotely like a receptionist was around, but saw no one. He tried looking past the desk into a room that was directly behind and said, "'ello?"

No one answered. Maybe they were busy with something else?

Seeing as no one would be coming to help out 2D, he decided to take a glance at the front desk computer to see if the page where people's rooms are assigned was still opened. 2D put down his iPad a few feet away on the counter. To actually be able to see the screen, 2D had to practically lie down on the counter and scoot forward enough to see it and not fall off. He was barely hanging on as he saw the room number 666C next to the name Murdoc Niccals. Before he could pull himself back off of the desk, 2D toppled over to the other side of the front desk, his head hitting the marble floor. It hurt more than when he fell off of the bus.

2D sat up and rubbed his head, noticing a slick liquid on his forehead. He looked down at his hand and saw that he was bleeding. He rubbed his hand on his pants, staining them, but not giving a shit.

He stood up and climbed over the desk, careful not to slip. As soon as his feet made contact with the floor, 2D took his iPad and went to find a lift, also known as an elevator in America.

2D found a lift and pushed the button to call it down, then he walked inside.

Remembering that there was a C next to the room number, 2D could only assume that C meant floor three since it was the third letter in the alphabet. And because of this thought, he smiled to himself. He wasn't as dumb as Murdoc made him out to be.

As the elevator came to a stop on level three, 2D walked out. He was happy to find that right across from the elevator was 646C. All he had to do was find 666C, then he could finally sleep well on a comfortable bed. At least, until the concert which was in about two days. Even if it was for sure that Damon was going to steal the show, Murdoc was going to make 2D go to the concert anyways.

2D read the plates on the doors as he walked through the hallways.

648C. . .662C. . .666C!

2D was about to knock on the door until he heard something that made him stop in his tracks.

"Oh Mudzie! Don't stop!" a woman's voice called out.

And that's when 2D immediately turned around and started heading for the elevators again. Now he knows where the receptionist went.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't the first time Murdoc shagged someone in their hotel room. Actually, it was only a few days ago when, after a concert, Murdoc had that altercation with a fan that had happened to have seen Murdoc in the hotel. She didn't even talk to 2D, only Murdoc and slightly to Cyborg Noodle. 2D couldn't help but feel slightly hurt. She even talked to a robot who didn't even respond to her instead of an actual person. While Murdoc and the fan were talking, 2D decided to get a snack from the vending machine that happened to be in the lobby.

As soon as he had gotten a snack and turned around, Murdoc, Cyborg Noodle, and the fan were gone.

Assuming that Murdoc and Cyborg left to their hotel room without telling 2D and that the fan had left to her own hotel room, 2D walked towards his hotel room which was on the second floor. As soon as he twisted the door knob and opened the door to go into the hotel room, he saw something that he never wanted to see. Not wanting to see more, but not wanting Murdoc to be angry with him, 2D discretely closed the door and decided to go for a walk to clear his head of the imagery.

As 2D pushed past the revolving doors of the hotel, his shoelace ended up getting caught in one of the edges as he walked out. He ended up tripping and getting a bruise on his face cheek.

In distraught, 2D muttered "Revolving doors, what have I done?" under his breath. He got up and brushed himself off. As he walked towards wherever his legs would take him, he couldn't help but think that Revolving Doors would be a great name for a song.

After that memory, 2D shook his head, wanting to get it out. He didn't want to remember the position that Murdoc and that other girl were in. At least he didn't see anything this time around.

By now, 2D was outside of the hotel. He walked past the tour bus in the parking lot and stepped onto the pavement, or sidewalk, admiring all of the buildings around him. Although it was night, most likely around one or two a.m., cars were still driving on the highway, but hardly anyone was walking on the sidewalk.

2D sighed as life blared around him. He was starting to get a headache, and he didn't have any pills with him. Maybe he could go to a small store and buy some pills? He at least had some money in his pockets.

Looking around the big city, 2D couldn't find any small store, just huge building most likely belonging to big corporations. He kept walking until he spotted one. It was right next to a fast food joint that seemed to be closed. 2D frowned as his stomach rumbled. He hoped that the shop wasn't closed.

He walked inside of the store, a little jingling bell alerting the cashier of a customer. He looked up and down the aisles, which there weren't very many, until he found what he wanted which was Ibuprofen and a bag of Cheetos plus some water.

He was about to walk up to the register until he noticed something strange.

It was a plastic pickle.

2D picked it up. On the side of the wrap it was in, it said "Press Here". With a confused look, 2D pressed the small little button on the side of the pickle. It started to yodel.

"What th' 'ell?" 2D muttered under his breath, trying not to laugh. This product was absolutely idiotic.

He had to buy it.

As soon as it stopped yodeling, he walked up to the register, a smile on his face. A girl was there, a tired look on her face. Of course she'd be tired, she's been working for 15 hours straight. She had to cover for her boss since he was out sick. At least she got paid extra.

2D placed all of the things he got on the counter. As he waited for her to scan all the items, he looked at her face and read her name tags? According to her name tag, her name was (Y/N). What a nice name.

When she was done scanning the items and put them all in a little pink plastic bag, to 2D's disdain, she looked up and said, "That'll be $19.04."

She didn't look offset by 2D's completely black eyes, nor the blood that had dried on the side of his head, but she did hold the look of slight worry in her eyes.

2D reached into his picket and pulled out a crisp $20 and handed it to her. (Y/N) took it, pushed a few buttons, and handed him his change while also handing him the bag of items.

"Fank yew, miss," 2D thanked (Y/N) politely.

"You're welcome," she said, then 2D started to leave, "Come again sometime."

As 2D walked out of the store, he paused as a sudden thought popped into his head. Where the hell was he going to sleep? He sure as hell didn't want to go back to the hotel room. Knowing Murdoc, they probably wouldn't stop until morning breaks.

He didn't know where to go. He knew that Murdoc wouldn't want 2D spending more than $100 on a hotel. Maybe he could sleep on a park bench or something?

2D looked around to see if there was anything that could point him to the right direction. Nope. Nada. Everything was industrial, hardly any greenery to be seen where he was standing at the moment, in the center of a concrete jungle.

He pondered for a moment, wondering which direction he should go. Finally, after quite a bit of thought and consideration, he decided to go to the left in hopes of finding a park.

As he walked, he couldn't help but look around at all of the tall buildings shining bright and colorful lights. They were beautiful, in their own way. All of the colors merging together were mesmerizing.

There were only a few people walking the streets, most of them in cars and zooming past the freeway. There were shops all around, most of them still surprisingly open at this hour of night. Or morning? Who cares.

Soon, after tirelessly walking along the sidewalk for quite a while, 2D finally spotted a suitable little park with a few scattered trees in the area that was what seemed to be a mile away, a direction away from the city. It seemed nice enough.

2D increased his speed and stride, hoping to get there quickly so that he could finally get some sleep.

2D practically collapsed onto a bench in the park as soon as he arrived. His legs were sore and he was incredibly tired. He stretched across the bench, his legs dangling off the edge. He placed his bag at the foot of the bench along with his iPad, forgetting about the painkillers he had bought. He just needed some rest.

2D closed his eyes, his mind about to drift off to the land of milk and cookies before he was violently shaken awake. When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing except a vast blue ocean in from of him. The sand he was sitting on was disgustingly pink which could only mean one thing.

He was back on Plastic Beach.

The moon was shining brightly against the surface of the salty water, which was pretty, in its own way.

2D sighed and looked behind him, wondering if the whole Escape to Plastic Beach tour never happened, and ready to go back inside of the cramped room in the bottom level of the building. But surprisingly, the building wasn't there. All he could see was the other side of the island.

And as far as 2D could tell, the island was sinking. 2D let out a girly shriek and ran to the middle of the island. The water had soon reached 2D's feet, then went up to his knees, then neck. He was now swimming in the middle of the vast ocean.

In a desperate attempt to find anyone who could help him, he yelled out, "'Ello? Is anyone 'dere!"

As soon as he called out those words, something rose out of the water. Something big. Something so horribly monstrous that 2D cowered in fear just at the sight of it.

A whale.

The monstrous being opened its enormous mouth, seeming bigger than a football field, and swallowed 2D whole as he screamed in fear.

Then, everything grew dark.


	3. Chapter 3

2D's eyes shot open as he screamed and sat up quickly before colliding with something. The force of the collision was so forceful that the back of his head hit the bench.

"I'm so sorry, oh my gosh! Are you alright?" said a feminine sounding voice.

2D sat up slowly, nothing no longer in his way, and rubbed the back of his head since it started to hurt. And now he had another headache, great. "I's okay. I-I'm fine."

"I really am very sorry!" she apologized once more.

Now that 2D's head wasn't spinning anymore, he could see the girl more clearly. She looked extremely familiar, as if he'd met her before. Which he has, he remembered. At the shop he went to. If only he could remember her name. "Like I said, i's fine."

2D was about to lay back down and fall back asleep, since he didn't get enough sleep because of the nightmare, but them jumped up realizing that the sun was shining.

He grabbed onto the girl's, whose name still escaped his mind, shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, their noses practically touching, while asking, "What time is it?"

"U-Uh, around t-two," she stuttered with confusion while being weirded out by the extremely close proximity of the stranger.

2D instantly let go of her shoulders and gripped his hair in panic. "Ahhhh! Mudz's gonna kill me if I'm late!"

He bolted for the hotel that he and Murdoc were staying at, leaving the poor girl behind in confusion. 2D had to be there since they had to make sure everything was in working order before the concert, especially Cyborg. She has been having a few issues recently regarding her motherboard and circuitry probably due to the fact that she regurgitated an entire octopus during the filming of On Melancholy Hill. The thought of it still left 2D a bit shaken.

As 2D took off like a flash, the girl noticed a little pink bag next to the bench along with an iPad. She was surprised that neither were taken seeing as how he's probably been asleep for a while. Lurking in big cities like Seattle would usually be thieves and homeless people who wouldn't mind stealing things just laying out in the open with nobody watching.

Picking up the bag, she noticed that it had the logo of the store she worked at on the side of it. That's when she remembered the man that wandered into the store in the late hours of night. Of course she'd remember him, he was kind of hard to miss, especially with the blue hair and black eyes.

She picked up the iPad along with the bag. Since they belonged to the blue haired guy, she'd figure that she'd hang onto them and take them to work the next day in case he happened to come to the shop again. She didn't want anyone to steal his things, especially an expensive iPad, although what she was doing was somewhat considered stealing though she was trying to find the owner. And with that, she started to head home to her apartment which was nearby.

Meanwhile, 2D was running into the hotel, being careful with the revolving doors this time, and sprinted for the elevator.

"No running," commanded the receptionist who was now at the front desk.

2D could see why Murdoc had sex with her. She had a nice body, big breasts, wore tight fitted clothing, and had a nice face. But she wasn't really 2D's type.

2D slowed down to a fast walking pace towards the elevator, until he noticed the 'Out of order' sign on it. He was going to have to use the stairs.

He quickly walked to the stairwell which was right next to the elevator and started scurrying up the stairs in frantic haste. When 2D made it to the final step and onto the third floor, his foot slipped underneath him and he fell an entire flight down the stairs. His head collided with the hard marble floor which filled 2D with the sense of déjà vu. He sat up and rubbed his head, noticing that the wound on his forehead had reopened. He rubbed away the blood that was running down his forehead towards his eye and slowly got up, brushing himself off.

This time, 2D walked carefully, albeit a bit painfully since he was pretty sure he twisted his ankle, up the stairs and into the room Murdoc and Cyborg were. When he knocked on the door since he still didn't have a keycard, he heard a bit of muffled grumbling before he was met with Murdoc's agitated face.

"Where th' bloody 'ell 'ave you been?!" Murdoc shouted at 2D.

2D cowered slightly and responded nervously. "I-I, since I, I-I mean, yew were prolly b-busy with s-somefink l-last night, I-."

"Quit your blubberin', it's givin' me a headache," Murdoc growled while rubbing his forehead. "Instead, jus' take this twen'y and get some spare parts for the Cyborg."

Murdoc handed 2D the cash, and 2D meekly took it, putting it in his front pocket. As soon as he did, Murdoc had slammed the door on his face which made 2D slightly jump. 2D sighed, relieved that he didn't receive a punishment or even Murdoc hitting him over the head with a shoe.

2D sighed and went back the way he came, going back down the stairs. And on those stairs, he remembered something. Two things, actually. The first thing that he for some reason remembered was the cashier's name from the shop yesterday. (Y/N). It was a nice name, rolled off the tongue. Now that he was thinking back, the girl at the park had similar features to (Y/N). Maybe it was her?

Second of all, he remembered that he left his snacks, pills, and iPad at the park. By the time he gets back to where he was at, his things might have been already stolen seeing as how Seattle was a big city after all. He at least hoped that whoever had it wouldn't listen to the music that was on it. They were songs he was working on and wanted to release in an entire album as a sort of Christmas present for the Gorillaz fans. He didn't have time to buy a new iPad and remake the music he already had. After all, it was nearing the cold month of December, getting closer and closer to Christmas.

Feeling slightly sad and melancholic, 2D made his was down the final steps of the staircase and out to the lobby. The receptionist was pouring over a mountain of paperwork and didn't notice 2D whatsoever which relieved him. He didn't like her at all.

As 2D walked out of the building into the city, he shielded his eyes as the sun shone above him. Not a cloud in the sky. He wondered if it were going to snow any time soon seeing as how it was winter. That would be a pleasant sight to see.

A pleasant sight indeed.


	4. Chapter 4

2D's shoes clicked as he strolled along the sidewalk, looking for some sort of auto or mechanic shop. Murdoc didn't give him exact instructions on what to get, so he'll just have to make things up as he goes.

Since it was daytime, there were a bunch more people bustling about their business and walking everywhere. Some of them looked in 2D's direction with the weirdest expressions. He assumed it was because of the blood on his forehead and not because of his height, hair color, or completely black eyes. He'd have to get that wound fixed up.

As he walked, limping slightly because of the incident that happened only a few minutes ago, he scrutinized the buildings around him, trying to find anything that looked mildly related to an auto shop. All he saw were some clothing shops and movie rental shops plus quite a few corporate buildings. Nothing close to an auto shop.

But what 2D did spot was the shop he was in yesterday, the light from the sun reflecting slightly from the glass windows. Since he was pretty sure the girl in the park was (Y/N), he could probably find her working.

2D made his way over to the shop, being careful of passerbys, not wanting to accidently trip and hit someone. He's been falling a lot recently. He usually wasn't that clumsy of a person.

A little bell jingled, the same little bell that 2D heard the first time he walked into the store. He looked toward the cashier but noticed a man standing there instead of

(Y/N). He had brown hair, albeit white showing a bit, fashioned into a fauxhawk plus sideburns. He seemed a bit worn out.

"Eh, excuse me," 2D asked the cashier nervously, his toes curling anxiously. "Do yew know a girl named (Y/N)?"

"Why, yes I do. Why're you lookin' for her?" the man, Scott as it said on his name tag, asked with a southern drawl.

"Well, um, she 'as somefink of mine. She said she'd give it back today," 2D said, fibbing at the last part. He didn't want to seem like a creep.

"Well, you can come back tomorrow when she's workin' again," said Scott.

"Well, alrigh' then. I guess I can wai' a bit," 2D spoke with hesitation. He then walked out of the store, wondering where he should go next.

Looking to his left, he saw nothing but buildings. Looking to his right, he saw nothing but buildings. What amazing observation skills he had.

He started heading in a random direction, hoping that he could find some sort of shop like Home Depot or Best Buy. Those places usually had things for machines. And maybe if he had enough money left over, he could buy a first aid kit of some kind since Murdoc probably wouldn't let him into the hotel room. And some painkillers too since he hasn't had any in quite a while. His head was killing him.

Finally after what seemed like hours of walking, though the time was most likely exaggerated, 2D happened upon a hardware and electronic store, not one of any big brand or anything, just a small one. 2D noticed a sign which read "All Things Must Go!" hanging on the display window. That must mean everything in the store is on sale.

2D walked into the store, noticing that only a few things were left on shelves, and the entire store was almost empty. He browsed the remaining items on the shelves, looking for anything that might look like they could help Cyborg. Anything that looked like wires or a computer chip could work.

As 2D glanced at each object on the shelves, he noticed something, an electronic of some kind. He was intrigued with it, so he grabbed it off of the shelf, which it was on the top part, and looked at it. It was shaped like a square with many small squares inside of it. It was then that he realized what it was. He's seen these around here and there but never got to try one himself. The tag on it read $19.34 which was incredibly, very incredibly, cheap for a launchpad. Last he heard, the instruments ran for $100 if not more.

Realizing that this may be the only opportunity to buy a launchpad without having to order one online, since they were on tour at the moment and expensive online, he decided to buy it, completely forgetting about what he was actually supposed to buy. The price was honestly a real bargain.

2D held it carefully in his hands as if it were a fragile thing that could easily be broken and walked to the register. The man behind the counter had a worn down face and tired eyes. It didn't look like he wanted to be there, but he gave 2D a smile anyways, raising an eyebrow at his completely black eyes, but ignoring them nonetheless.

After 2D had bought the launchpad and walked out of the store with it, he started to head towards the hotel room that he and Murdoc shared. He didn't have any money left to get a first aid kit, or even any painkillers for that matter, but the thought of a new instrument drove the pain away, at least temporarily. Even the pain in his ankle had started to fade, though now it was a dull throb.

Before he knew it, 2D was standing in front of his and Murdoc's hotel room, a hand raised and ready to knock on the door and show Murdoc his new instrument that could probably be used to make a song in the future. Right as he was about to knock, a thought occurred to him. He was supposed to get Cyborg some spare parts, wasn't he?

2D's gleeful smile instantly fell, a scared look appearing on his face. His hand dropped to his side, and as he was about to sneak away stealthily so Murdoc didn't know he had stopped in front of the door, the Devil himself showed up.

2D froze, hiding the launchpad behind his back, giving Murdoc a fake smile. He could feel sweat run down the back of his neck and his heart hammering against his chest. He was terrified. "Oh, hiya, Mudz. I was jus' 'bout to knock."

"Where're the parts?" questioned Murdoc, looking suspiciously at 2D with his hands to his hips.

"The," 2D paused slightly and gulped. "parts?"

Murdoc's face contorted into one of anger and annoyance. "Yes "the parts" you nitwit!" Murdoc yelled in 2D's face making said person wince. "Where're the parts for th' Cyborg!"

"Oh, tha', well, uh, yew see," 2D mumbled trying to come up with an excuse that wouldn't leave him free to the abuse of Murdoc.

"Quit your mumblin', boy," Murdoc said, before noticing that 2D's hands were behind his back. "What is it you've got there?"

"O-Oh, um, i's nuffin, nuffin at all!" 2D answered a bit too quickly, his toes curling inside his shoes in nervousness.

When Murdoc tried to get a glance at whatever was behind 2D's back, 2D tilted out of Murdoc's reach. After a few more attempts, Murdoc grew tired of his shenanigans and yanked 2D's ear, making 2D yelp in pain, his hands dropping to his side. Murdoc forcefully grabbed the launchpad from 2D's hands and studied it.

"Wha' the bloody 'ell is this?" Murdoc asked quite loudly with anger lacing his words.

"I-I's a musical instrument. It can make all sorts of noises i-if yew jus' hook i' up to a computer. A-And maybe it can be used fo' a new sonk?" 2D said nervously, the end of the last question going up an octave making it sound like a question.

"Really now?" Murdoc said, an unreadable expression on his face.

2D nodded his head furiously, nervously biting to inner part of his cheek. "Are yew. . .mad?"

"Mad?" Murdoc asked questioningly, raising an eyebrow. "Am I mad? No, more like," His face contorted into one of absolute rage. "Seething with rage!" 2D whimpered and cowered as Murdoc yelled at him, his long sharp nails poking at 2D's chest. "You were supposed to get th' parts for the Cyborg, bu' instead go' this piece of garbage! Why are you such a fucking idiot!? You had one job, and you fucked it! Why are you so dense!? It was a simple job! YOU'RE A FUCKING MORON!"

That's when Murdoc completely snapped and hit 2D over the head with the launchpad, shattering it into a million pieces while leaving 2D bleeding on the floor and gripping his head. The door to the hotel room slammed shut, and 2D was left on the floor, tears escaping his eyes and blood flowing from the wound on his head. He couldn't move. He was in too much pain to do so. 2D's vision was growing ever so dimmer as he lost more blood. Before he passed out, he came to one single realization.

His head was hurting now more than ever.


	5. Chapter 5

2D woke up with a killer headache, a sore back, and an aching ankle. His eyes were crusty with the dried blood which had run down his forehead down and over his eyelids. His eyes stung when he opened them, probably due to crying his heart out. 2D slowly and painfully stood up, wobbling on his legs a bit before he could take a step forward. When he did, a pain instantly shot up his right leg, almost making him fall. 2D sucked up the pain and started hobbling toward the stairs, going painfully slow down them.

2D took in a breath as he finally got down to the bottom floor, then started limping towards the exit of the hotel. The receptionist paid him no mind, quite distracted by the tantalizing magazine with a shirtless male model on the cover.

As 2D hobbled past the revolving doors and into the city, he couldn't help but notice that it was night time. He must have been asleep for a while. He started stumbling across the sidewalk in a random direction. Hardly anyone was out, and only a few cars raced past. No one had even taken notice to the bleeding man on the sidewalk.

2D was starting to become light headed. His head was spinning rapidly, and he couldn't see straight very well. He knew he was going to pass out again. But before he did, he saw a familiar sign, one that he's seen twice before.

2D tilted in the direction of the small store, his path slightly wobbly and distorted looking as he limped. He felt as if his legs were going to give out underneath him. Before they could however, he felt the cold metal of a door against his arms. He pushed it open. As soon as the cool air from the air-conditioned shop hit his face, he slipped and fell, landing on his stomach, on the border between being inside the building and outside. The last thing he heard was the jingling of the little welcome bell. What a joyful ringing it was.

The person inside the store, the only person at that, was not joyful at all. In fact, she was terrified for the life of the man who had just walked in and passed out. (Y/N), who was called in for a late night shift, rushed to the blue haired man's side, recognizing him instantly. His hair was matted with blood, his forehead as well. There were bits and pieces of something plastic near and on the wound. It was still bleeding slightly, but it was mostly dried.

(Y/N) was slightly panicked as she wondered on what to do. Obviously, she should call the police first. So, she fumbled for her phone which was in her front pocket, almost dropping it, and quickly dialed 911. Her hands shook as the person on the other side picked up.

"Hello, 911, what's your emergency?" said a woman with a strangely calm voice.

"Um, yes, hello. Someone just walked into the store I'm working in and collapsed. He has a big gash on top of his head, and I think he needs stitches," (Y/N) hurriedly explained in a rush.

After the urgent call, (Y/N) hung up and went back to wondering what she could do to help the poor guy. The woman on the phone had said to try to keep the man awake just in case he had a concussion of some kind. So, (Y/N) tried gently shaking the man awake, trying not to hurt him more so. The man groaned, and tried to sit up, only to collapse back to the floor. His whole body was aching, his head on fire.

"Hey, you okay?" (Y/N) asked nervously. Obviously, he wasn't okay, he was bleeding profusely.

"Yeh, yeh, I jus' need 'elp gettin' up," he said, trying to pick himself back up, before almost collapsing again. (Y/N) helped him sit up, allowing him to lean on her as structural support.

"So, what's your name?" (Y/N) asked the blue haired man.

"2D," the male responded, his eyes not really focusing on anything, just staring at the marble floor.

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow at that so called name. It was pretty strange, so maybe it was just a nickname? It wasn't important at the moment. She needed to keep this 2D guy awake until the ambulance arrived.

"I remember yew," 2D spoke again, somewhat surprising (Y/N). "Yewr the cashier. And yew also bumped me 'ead in the pahk. Yew shoure do 'ave a pretty name. (Y/N)." He lightly chuckled as if he were high on drugs.

"So how'd you get the gashes on your head?" (Y/N) said, saying gash as a plural since she noticed and remembered the last cut he had on his forehead.

"The first or th' second? Bouf?" 2D asked, but continued speaking without letting (Y/N) speak. "With th' first one, I slipped and fell and 'it me 'ead. The second was that swine Murdoc's fault. Jus' 'cause I didn't get the spare parts for the Cyborg. And he broke my launchpad too, tha sod!" He then started whimpering pathetically. "Tha' launchpad was extremely cheap, too. Cheapest I've evah seen. And man, my 'ead hurts." 2D rubbed his temple, trying to soothe his mind and head.

"That sounds awful," (Y/N) said, wondering why a person would do that sort of thing. It seemed like an extreme and unusual punishment for someone who just forgot to buy something.

"Yeh, it was. That ol' bloke don't even want me around," 2D said somewhat sadly. "Dat's why I usually make music, when everyone's ignoring me. I did 'ave an iPad where I made music, bu' yew still 'ave it."

(Y/N) actually forgot to bring the iPad and bag of miscellaneous items with her to work, so she was going to have to give him his things some other time.

By this time, the sound of sirens was heard nearby, and a pair of medics came in with a gurney, ready to take 2D to the hospital. They did the regular procedures, checking over 2D and asking (Y/N) some questions. When the paramedics took 2D into the ambulance, one of them came out and requested something of (Y/N).

"He wants you to go with him," the female paramedic said. "He might panic if you refuse, so I suggest you go."

(Y/N) looked slightly surprised, but nodded and accepted. She quickly grabbed her keys to lock up the place for the night, and followed the medic out. When she hopped inside the back of the ambulance, she noticed that 2D was hooked up to a heart monitor and looked slightly loopy. She sat on the long bench-like seat near the gurney that 2D was lying upon. "Oh, (Y/N), you're here. Dats good. Dats great! (Y/N)." He hummed when he said her name. "Yewr already nicer than Mudz, though he wa'nt nice ta begin wiff."

"That's good to know," said (Y/N) softly.

The two medics then decided to try to make sure the wound wasn't infected since 2D seemed to be holding a steady conversation and his pupils, as far as they could tell with his blood filled eyes, weren't dilating. 2D somewhat panicked as they were about to put the gas mask on him. "Ay, get yewr bluddy 'ands off me!" 2D was about to put up a fight before (Y/N) told him to calm down. Her voice soothed him for some reason and let the medics continue their work. Before he knew it, he was knocked out.


	6. Chapter 6

A droning beep woke 2D from his long nap. He groaned and forced his eyes to open, even if he wanted to sleep a little bit more. His vision was blurry for a second before he blinked repeatedly. Even then, all he saw was white. He wondered, just for a moment, if he was dead before he noticed that he was in a hospital with someone sitting in a chair near the hospital bed. It was (Y/N), with her (H/L) (H/C) framing her face, bringing out her (E/C) eyes. Why was she there?

(Y/N) was scanning through a magazine, some famous actor dressed as a pirate on the front. 2D scoffed a little bit at the picture. Real pirates didn't look like that. He would know.

(Y/N) looked up from the article about a scandalous setup, hearing 2D's scoff. "You're awake."

"Yea, I guess I am," 2D replied. Then a question popped into 2D's head. "Why're yew still 'ere? Like, eh, why 'aven't yew left yet?" 2D was twiddling his thumbs subconsciously above the bed sheets.

"You didn't let me leave," she responded simply. By now, the magazine she was reading was closed and placed back on the little side table where a stack of magazines and books were placed.

"I didn't?" 2D questioned, not really remembering anything before passing out in the middle of the doorway. Everything was such a blur. (Y/N) simply nodded in response.

"But once you fell asleep, I went home and got your things," she said, holding up a little pink plastic bag and a cracked iPad. 2D didn't even noticed that she had those things, but boy was he happy to see his iPad.

(Y/N) got up and handed 2D his iPad and bag. A smile stretched across 2D's face as he greedily snatched the iPad away from her hands, completely ignoring the bag for now, while saying, "Fank yew." Then, a somewhat troubling thought came to his mind. "Say, uh, yew didn't happen to, uh, look through it, did yew?"

"No, why?"

"Uh, no reason. Just something important," 2D answered.

"What, like porn or something?"

(Y/N) teased. It would be pretty funny if she were right.

"W-What, no! Not at all! It isn't like dat!" 2D cried out in embarrassment, although it was partially true. He may or may not have watched some and wanked off to it because he was feeling lonely since Damon was stealing all the attention.

"I'm just kidding around," she laughed. If only she knew that what she spoke was the truth. 2D laughed nervously along with her.

Suddenly, a migraine hit 2D from out of nowhere. He grimaced in pain, rubbing his forehead, being wary of the stitches on his head. The doctor had to shave off a small part part of his hair in order to stitch the wound properly. 2D hoped that his hair would grow back quick, else he'd have to wear that sailor hat he had ever since he was kidnapped and shipped to Plastic Beach during the concert.

(Y/N) seemed to notice his pain and stopped laughing, a worried expression replacing her happy one. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Jus'. . .give me a minute," 2D said. This headache was worse than the others, probably due to the fact that he's had multiple head injuries occur at different times the past two days which amplified the pain. "Can yew 'and me the pills and wateh in da bag?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," (Y/N) said, handing over the pills and water bottle. The water was lukewarm since she hadn't put it in a refrigerator. She barely even remembered what 2D had bought, and when he left his iPad and bag at the park, she didn't want to snoop and respected his privacy.

"Fanks, luv." 2D grabbed both the painkillers and the water, unscrewing the lid to the pills first, then the water. He took three pills and washed them all down with water, taking a few more swigs for his parched throat. It did nothing to satisfy his empty stomach however. It's been quite a while since he's actually eaten anything. "So, when do yew fink I can leave?"

At that moment, the doctor, who happened to be a female, walked into the room with a clipboard and pen at hand and a stethoscope around her neck. "Hello, my name is Mel, and I'll be your doctor today. First of all, I need to ask you a few questions." She turned to (Y/N). "And if it's all right with you since you aren't related to him, you can wait in the hall."

"Oh, okay," (Y/N) responded and left the room, leaning on the wall near the door. While waiting, she pulled out her phone and began to browse the internet, looking at recent news and such. Looking at the most recent of the bunch, she noticed that in a few days, a band was coming to preform in Benaroya Hall, the local concert hall in Seattle. The name of the band was Gorillaz, a name she's only heard of a little. The only song from them she remembered was Feel Good Inc, and that was because it played on the radio frequently when she was a teenager.

(Y/N) put away her phone when she noticed that the doctor had beckoned her inside. Once she walked inside, she noticed that 2D was standing next to the hospital bed in his regular clothes instead of a hospital gown.

"So, Stuart," Mel said, clapping her hands together. (Y/N) assumed that 2D's real name was Stuart. "The hospital bill will be sent to your address. If you have any questions or if anything happens, you can call the hospital."

"Okay, fanks fo' th' 'elp, doc," said 2D with a smile on his face, happy to leave the chemical smelling room. 2D then walked out the door only to pop his head back in, addressing (Y/N). "Yew coming?"

"Oh, yeah," she responded, quickly following 2D out.

Once the two were out of earshot, Mel put her hands to her face cheeks in a cooeing manner. "Such a cute couple."


	7. Chapter 7

The walk into the lobby of the hospital was silent, such as the descent from the lift, except a little less awkward. 2D signed himself out, and the two of them left the building. The morning sun was only a little bit above the horizon, shining through the tall buildings around them. As they walked out the building, 2D started to speak to (Y/N). "Fanks fo' callin' th' 'ospital. Dunno what would've 'appened if yew didn't."

"It's not a problem," (Y/N) replied. "I was just doing what anyone else would."

Anyone else but Murdoc, 2D thought bitterly. Murdoc didn't care about his health at all. In fact, he usually made it worse. Usually not bad enough to the brink of death or anything, but usually pretty bad. This was the worst time for Murdoc. He usually isn't so bad, but considering everything that's happened, from losing Noodle, though he didn't seem that upset over it, to having little to no company on Plastic Beach since 2D wasn't considered company at all, and now having to deal with Damon and that fake band of his stealing the credit for all of their songs.

"So, I still don't get how you got the gash on your head," (Y/N) asked. Although she had asked before when 2D face-planted on the floor of the store she worked at, he didn't quite explain how. He just said that it was a guy named Murdoc's fault and that his launchpad broke. She didn't even know what a launchpad was, seeing as how it only came out recently and wasn't that well known.

"Well, my band mate, Murdoc, 'it me ovah th' 'ead wiff my launchpad an' it broke. I's sorta like a musical device that makes bloopy noises. It was really cheap too. Dose finks usually run up to be ovah two-'undred euro!" 2D explained as best he could.

"That's awful," (Y/N) stated, her eyes slightly widening. "Can't you do anything about it? Like call the authorities?"

"Nope. If ah did, Murdoc woul' be out fo' me blud. Anyway, I'd 'ave no where ta go. Mah parents ar' gone an' I don' really 'ave any friends 'round 'ere," 2D said with a despondent undertone while looking at the ground as he walked. Every black spot on the pavement suggested that people just drop chewed up gum as they walk, not caring about actually putting it in a trash bin. Disgusting.

"Well," (Y/N) finally spoke after a moment's pause. "I don't think you should go back to this Murdoc guy. At least, not today since he might still be angry."

"Den wher' will I stay?" 2D asked, glancing up at (Y/N).

"You could. . ." she paused for a little bit, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "-stay at my place for the day." The reason she was so hesitant to say that was, not because he seemed shifty and looked like he could take advantage of her when she's sleeping, in fact, he didn't seem like he'd hurt a fly, but because her apartment was a bit of a mess at the moment. She didn't expect to have company over at all.

"R-Really?" 2D croaked out. "A-Ar' yew shoure I wouldn' be imposin' o' anyfink?"

"No, not at all!" (Y/N) said with a smile. "In fact, you'd be keeping me company."

"So yew live alone?" 2D questioned (Y/N).

"Yeah," she responded. "My roommate used to live with me 'til he was accepted into Stanford. He left and we never really kept in contact."

"Wow, he mus' be pretteh smart to be able ta get in," 2D said somewhat amazed. If only he had that kind of intelligence, then maybe he wouldn't be stuck with Murdoc for what will likely be the rest of his life. But knowing Murdoc, he'd find some way to keep 2D in the band.

"Yeah. But he was kind of a dick, too," (Y/N) said, recollections of the past flashing in her mind. "A few years ago, me and him had biology together. We were assigned an end of semester project where we had to write a ten page essay about the effects of erosion. It was worth a lot of points. Right after we were assigned it, I got sick. Very sick. I could hardly even move. He said that he'd finish the project for me, that I didn't have to worry about it. But when the due date came and I finally wasn't sick anymore, he didn't have it. He didn't even start it. And that's how I failed that semester."

"Well den, he's a bit rood," 2D stated, wondering how lucky he was not to be as smart. It seemed like the smarter you are, the more of a prick you are. But now that he's thinking of it, even if a person's dumb, they can still be a prick. Like that nob, Murdoc.

"Yeah, but he had his moments." (Y/N) was about to say something more about her roommate, something that was actually positive, but noticed that they were almost to her apartment. And by almost, she means right in front of it.

(Y/N) veered to the left towards the apartment which was across the busy street, taking 2D with her.There was a group of people waiting at the edge of the crosswalk, people in business suits, people in T-shirt and jeans, people in fancy clothing such as dresses and tuxedos. Such a variety of people in such a small space. It made 2D reminisce about Demon Days, one song in particular. 2D shook those thoughts out of his head as soon as the crowd started moving across the street.

The crowd of people dispersed as soon as they reached the other side, (Y/N) b-lining towards the building right in front of them. It was fairly tall, matching the height of the buildings around it. It didn't stand out much, save fore the few balconies with potted plants on them. One potted plant he could see was teetering on the edge of the railing. It could be a real hazard to people below.

When (Y/N) and 2D entered the building, 2D noticed how much warmer it was inside. He also noticed that he was actually pretty cold. He didn't even have a jacket. He didn't even think he had one since it was usually warm on Plastic Beach, save for the chilly nights, but he was usually kept at the bottom level, so the temperature was usually constant.

(Y/N) led 2D to the elevator, going up five flights, then exiting. The room number was 272, (Y/N)'s room. It was a lot less messy than 2D was first expecting. It looked fairly clean and well kempt, save for the few movies and bowl on the coffee table in front of the television and the dishes in the sink in the kitchen that was visible from the living room.

"So," (Y/N) started, clapping her hands together, making 2D jump a little, but she didn't seen to notice. "This is my apartment. Down the hall to the right is the bathroom. Across from that is the guest room. And right beside the guest room is my room. You can take a shower if you want, and I can get you some clothes my roomie left behind."

"Oh, um, yeah, dat'd be great," 2D replied, happy to know that he could finally take a shower for the first time in a bit. Although he hasn't taken a shower in a while, he usually hid his unpleasant smell with Old Spice Body Spray.

"You can go ahead to the shower," (Y/N) said. "I'll leave the clothes outside the door."

"Okay, fank yew," 2D said, then left towards the bathroom.

"Uh, wrong door," (Y/N) pointed out. 2D then realized that he was reaching towards the door to the left instead of the one to the right.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," 2D chuckled embarrassed. He really needed to clear his head. A shower could help with that.

2D went through the correct door this time, closing it behind him. The bathroom was small and simple, though not small enough for 2D to bump his head on the ceiling. 2D started to take off his clothes, thankful to be out of the sweat and blood stained clothing. He then picked at the bandage wrapped around his head. The doctor told him not to get the stitches wet until two days have passed, although he was getting quite antsy. He turned on the shower, setting the water at a temperature he liked, and stepped inside the tub. Warm water cascaded over his chest. He tried not to get any water on his head because of the stitches, but some splashed on his face anyway. While he was washing all the grime from his body away, using (Y/N)'s cinnamon scented body wash no less, he thought about the events that have perspired the last few days. So much had happened in so little time. And all of it in Seattle, no less. It seemed like this city just given him bad luck, seeing as how all of the things that happened to him were bad. Well, most. (Y/N) wasn't so bad.

Not bad at all.


	8. Chapter 8

The spray of the shower disappeared as 2D turned off the shower. As soon as he stepped onto the other side of the tub, he slipped on some water that must have gathered from the shower. He let out a startled shriek as he fell forward, his chin making contact with the floor. It was a good thing his leg hadn't been caught inside the bathtub, else he wouldn't be having anymore kids in the future. Because of his fall, he also accidently knocked down the bottle of body wash that had been sitting at the edge of the tub.

2D sat up and rubbed his chin, wincing slightly as he did so. He was pretty sure it was bruised since it hurt when he so much as touched it. (Y/N) seemed to hear the commotion and knocked on the door with her knuckle. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Um, y-yeah," 2D said meekly, feeling extremely embarrassed at the moment. "I jus' knocked somefink ovah accidentally."

"Oh, okay. Just making sure you didn't hurt yourself," she responded. It didn't sound like he knocked 'something' over. It sounded like a kid belly-flopping into a pool painfully. But maybe she was just worrying for nothing. He said he was fine after all. After reassuring herself, she went off to the kitchen to see if she can prepare a meal for the both of them.

Meanwhile, 2D was shaking off his embarrassment and getting up to grab the clothes that were outside the door on the floor. He opened the door a crack, glancing to the left and right to make sure that (Y/N) had left. He didn't want her to see the bruise on his chin. He hastily grabbed the clothes that were left out for him and closed the door. A pair of dark blue boxers, tan khaki pants, a white tank top, and a simple, gray sweater. The boxers and pants fit just fine, but the tank top and sweater were slightly loose. 2D didn't mind though. At least he didn't have to wear the same clothes anymore.

Once 2D finished dressing, he took a look at himself in the mirror. The mirror was slightly fogged up, so 2D took the sleeve of the sweater he was wearing and wiped the condensation away. He frowned at the sight. There was a big, purple bruise on his chin, and it didn't look like it would be going away within the next minute. He certainly didn't want (Y/N) to see him like this, mostly because the story behind the bruise was embarrassing and he didn't want to seem like a klutz around her. Maybe he could hide it somehow? A sudden idea came to his mind. He could use her makeup! If she had any, though usually most women, not to be sexist or anything, had some makeup or at least lipstick.

As 2D searched the cabinets under the sink, he hit the jackpot of makeup. He found quite a few things he could use to hide the bruise. Granted he didn't know how to use any of it properly save for the lipstick and eyeliner, but it was better than having to tell an embarrassing story. He looked through the makeup, wondering which one he should use. Concealer? That sounded like what he needed. He didn't know the exact procedure on putting on makeup, so he grabbed a big brush, dabbing it in the powdery substance, and brushed it over the bruise. He held in chuckles as the brush lightly tickled his chin. It seemed to work well enough, so he added some more concealer to the bruise. He looked in the mirror again, noticing that it looked like the bruise wasn't there to begin with. 2D sighed with relief and put away the concealer and brush.

2D then left the humid bathroom and walked into the living room. There, he noticed that, in the kitchen, (Y/N) was putting down a plate filled with delicious smelling food onto the dining table. Considering that it was still morning, (Y/N) had prepared a small breakfast meal consisting of bacon and pancakes. She didn't make any for herself mostly because she had already eaten before going to see 2D at the hospital to give him his things. 2D's stomach growled at the sight, especially the smell. The scent of maple syrup and bacon was heavenly. "Dat looks amazing," 2D said in awe.

(Y/N) glanced to 2D, the smile that was gently gracing her features fading away. 2D's smile went away as well. Did he do something wrong?

"What's that?" she asked.

"W-Wot's wot?" 2D said nervously. He was really confused as to what she was referring to. Unless she was referring to the makeup on his chin, then he knew he was really screwed.

"On your chin," she said, gesturing towards his chin. There was a somewhat dark patch on his chin, a shade lighter than his actual skin color.

"Oh, w-well, I-I-I," 2D gulped nervously, having been found out. It seemed like he had a knot in his throat, and he couldn't seem to get the embarrassing explanation out. 2D took in a shaky breath and started to explain what happened. In his mind, it seemed like a good idea at first, but now that he was thinking about it, he would've caused himself less embarrassment if he didn't mess with (Y/N)'s makeup.

Instead of laughing like 2D expected (Y/N) to do, she looked somewhat concerned and asked him if he needed any ice for the bruise. 2D was slightly surprised at her kindness. His jaw still ached, so he accepted the offer of ice. While she was wrapping a towel around the ice-pack, 2D went ahead and started to eat. The pancakes tasted amazingly drizzled with maple syrup and had a sort of cinnamon aftertaste, and the bacon was sizzled to perfection. Eating the amazing breakfast made 2D realize that he was hungrier than he first expected. His plate was practically empty by the time (Y/N) came back. She seemed taken aback by how he ate the food so quickly, but didn't think about it too much. He probably just hadn't eaten in a while. She went ahead and gave 2D the ice while also taking away 2D's now empty plate. He placed the ice pack under his jaw, wincing at the cold contact, though it was starting to feel better because of it. After a few minutes, (Y/N) finished washing the dish and put it up to dry then went back to 2D who still had the ice pack on his chin. He looked bored, at least as far as (Y/N) could tell, so she came up with a great idea.

"Wanna watch a movie?" she asked 2D.

"Huh, oh yeah, shoure!" 2D said, finally excited to do something besides just wandering the city aimlessly or practically dying at the entrance of a hotel room.

(Y/N) made her way to the living room, 2D just staring after her. He was practically mesmerised by the way her hips swayed from side to side. 2D shook the dirty thoughts out of his head, got up, and followed (Y/N).


	9. Chapter 9

"So," (Y/N) began, holding up three DVD cases with different covers on them. Each movie she held up consisted of different genres since she didn't now what kind of movies 2D liked. The three movies she held up in particular were called Ace Ventura, The Notebook, and Dawn of the Dead, the original 1978 movie and not the 2004 remake. "Which movie do you wanna watch?"

"Ooh, yew 'ave Dawn of d' Dead? I 'aven't seen dat movie in ages!" 2D said, excited to watch it once more. Zombie films were among his favorite kind of movies, and Dawn of the Dead was one of his favorites. Although he had a Blu-ray player back on Plastic Beach, the Dawn of the Dead disk was scratched by a couple of pesky, talking seagulls, or maybe during the time on the beach had given 2D "island madness", and he just imagined them talking. Either way, the disk was scratched, so all he could watch was the idiotic remake of Day of the Dead, which was only released two years prior to his being on Plastic Beach. The movie was terrible. That is what happens when a third-rate director remakes a George Romero zombie film: he subtracts any social-political subtext and throws in cheap scares, stupid dialogue, cute but lame actors and, worse, a vegetarian zombie in love. Worst zombie movie ever.

"Dawn of the Dead it is," (Y/N) replied happily. It's been a long while since she's seen the movie as well, twelve years to be exact. The first time she watched the movie was also the last time she watched it. When she was around eleven or twelve, her dad let her watch the movie with him, her mother advising against that, but (Y/N) watched it anyway. Ever since then and all the way until she was around sixteen, she was traumatized by the movie. She expected the zombie apocalypse to start suddenly and out of nowhere, and she thought that she was the first one that was going to be turned into one of them. It was better now than never to get over the fear of watching the movie again.

And in all honesty, the movie wasn't as scary as it was all those years ago, mostly due to the fact that the special effects were out of date and the acting was more exaggerated than the movies nowadays. Besides all that, the story was still pretty interesting.2D's eyes were trained on the TV, seeming to want to catch every bit of the movie. He must really have liked the movie. It made

(Y/N) smile slightly seeing as how he was acting like a child sitting on the edge of his seat, anticipating a turn of events to happen. So close to the edge that during what was supposed to be a cheap jumpscare, he slipped and fell forward, the middle of his forehead colliding with the coffee table in front of them.

(Y/N) shot up from her seat and dropped to 2D's, who was already sitting up and rubbing his head, side. Why did he keep hurting himself?

"Are you okay?" she asked in a worrisome voice.

"Yea, yea, jus'...give me a minute," he said. He was about to stand up, but his knees were shaky and almost buckled, but he didn't fall this time.

(Y/N) got up from her place on the floor to steady him. He looked a bit...disoriented, for lack of a better word. His head kept tilting to the right it seemed, which made it slightly harder to keep him steady. There was a bruise already forming smack dab on the middle of his forehead. At least it didn't reopen any previous wounds and, thankfully, not even the stitches on 2D's noggin. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to stand up straight on his own. Maybe had a concussion? A person wouldn't really need to go to the hospital because of a concussion, right? There's gotta be some home remedies on Google. It didn't sound like 2D wanted to go back to go to the hospital since all he said was, "I'm fine. I'm fine. I don' need anotha bluddy 'ospital."

(Y/N), seeing no other option, decided to help him—more like drag since he couldn't walk straight like a drunk—to the guest room so that he could rest given that she was pretty sure that bedrest was the first thing needed to treat a mild concussion. Good thing she paid attention in Health class when she was in highschool.

Seeing as how the door to the guestroom was already slightly ajar, (Y/N) elbowed her way through the doorway and stepped into the dimly lighted room. Everything was still in place from when Jace, her old roommate, left. The bed was made and neat, and the closet was empty save for the few boxes which held some of his clothes that didn't fit him anymore. The walls were bare save for the indentation made in the wall when his boyfriend broke up with him the year before. He was kind, but he could get a little aggressive at times.

(Y/N) helped 2D onto the bed. He was practically knocked out already, snuggling into the pillow and hugging it with a smile on his face. (Y/N) found that absolutely adorable. She wanted to take a picture, but fought against it, and instead left the room to where Dawn of the Dead was still playing, a girly scream resonating from the television speakers.

Meanwhile in the land of dreams, 2D was having a rather pleasant dream about a girl—who she was he wouldn't remember when he woke up—and they were having a nice little picnic on top of a hill, a plastic tree hanging over the both of them. The sun was setting and the view over the country side and the rolling green hills was amazing. The colors were starting to blur when she said something to him. He couldn't understand what she said, but she smiled so he thought it must have been a good thing and smiled as well. She laid her head on his shoulder as they watched the sunset together.

It was a nice feeling.

 **Woah, it's my first author's note. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who's following my story, and especially those of you leaving reviews. I enjoy reading the feedback from you guys, be it nice or mean. At least I'd know that someone was reading.**

 **Future chapters might be out more sporadically and few mostly because I'm getting further into the school year. And yep, I'm still in school for those of you wondering. So updates might be a bit slower. Anyways, thanks for reading this far into my story, it means a lot to me. And stay tuned for the next chapter! Peace out.**


	10. Chapter 10

2D was slowly waking up, taking a minute at the time. He was still slightly drowsy, but it didn't seem like his body wanted him to sleep anymore. Mostly because mother nature was calling. But he didn't want to leave the comfortable position he was in, all curled up and warm on a bed, hugging something soft that smelled nice, like some sort of vanilla smelling detergent. But the call of the wild was relentless and pulled 2D away from his slumber.

2D grumbled and sat up, swinging his long legs off the side of the bed. As soon as he made those movements however, his brain yelled at him. And that personification meant that he had another headache. A bad one at that. He also felt like puking, but he held back that feeling of bile rising up in his throat. 2D took a deep breath and got up, slowly this time like he had some sort of hangover, and started for the door, intending on going to the bathroom. He had no idea what time of day it was, but judging from how the sun was still shining through the apartment's windows, he wasn't asleep for very long. At the most, it was probably around five or so, give or take a few hours.

2D didn't seem to see (Y/N) anywhere, so he assumed that she might be out doing something. And right when he thought that, he found a sticky note that was placed on the door of the guest room. It read, "Hey, I went out to buy some things. If you're hungry, have whatever you want from the fridge. And if you decide to leave, then make sure to lock the door. Kthnxbai."

2D chuckled at the last word, or clump of words that is. It made what (Y/N) wrote sound cute. Not knowing what else to do with it, he put the note into the pocket of his-since they're not currently owned by anyone else-khaki pants, then headed to the bathroom to do business and please mother nature. Right after that, he searched the cabinets for some sort of painkiller for the headache he was having at the moment. He was happy to find a bottle full of them and went ahead and took three of them. He went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water because downing pills dry was somewhat uncomfortable, though he had to do it on some occasions.

Then, he decided to go on his iPad to waste time. He didn't know if he was going to wait for (Y/N) to return, but he didn't exactly want to go back to the hotel where there was a most likely angry, green man waiting to clobber him. Yet he knew that he'd have to go back eventually since they still had a concert to attend, even if Damon and his goons stole the show again. Speaking of which, there were four days left until the concert. At least, that's what 2D thought. It was hard to tell since he's been knocked out a lot and his sleeping schedule was thrown array. They were supposed to do two other concerts in San Diego and Oakland, but they had to cancel those two since they couldn't make it because Cyborg had malfunctioned and accidently shot out the tour bus's tire. But the concert still happened because of Damon and his lackies. Everything about the tour was honestly getting quite tiring. At least 2D finally had a moment of rest where he could just relax and do what he wants without having to be judged or interrupted by Murdoc.

At the moment, 2D was trying to make a new song by remixing sounds, noises, and beats, but nothing seemed to sound right in his ears. After a few more minutes of trying, he gave up and decided to explore the apartment instead. The first place 2D's feet led him to was, of course, (Y/N)'s room. He had never seen it before, so of course he was curious as to what was inside. Was this an invasion of privacy? Most likely, but 2D's curiosity beat out his logic, and he opened the door.

To be completely honest, he didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe a completely pink room filled with posters of emo boy bands and popular singers and a bed filled with stuffed animals? Or maybe a completely bare room blank of any expression at all? The truth was that it was a combination of both. Although the walls weren't exactly hot pink, they were a light shade of (f/c), and her bed only had one stuffed animal on it. 2D found it adorable that she still slept with a stuffed animal. The walls were mostly bare save for a few portraits of landscapes here and there. And in the corner of the room, 2D saw a guitar.

Feeling intrigued, 2D stepped towards the guitar case and opened it, seeing a(n) (f/c) guitar, the same color as in the walls of the room. Maybe it was (Y/N)'s favorite color? 2D picked up the acoustic guitar which was very light in his hand. He sat down at the edge of (Y/N)'s bed and placed the guitar on his lap in playing position and strummed a few notes. Judging from how they sounded, the guitar hadn't been tuned in a while, so 2D did just that. When the notes were all tuned, 2D started to play practice chords, then started finger plucking. Maybe now he could make a good song for the album?

He started out with a tune, just a random tune that he had in his head. It seemed to sound nice, so he repeated it, again and again. Then he started hooking words to the accompaniment. Just words that he popped into his head, mostly from the past few days.

"Revolving doors, what have I done?" he started out with. Not a bad start, not a bad start at all. He paused for a few moments, trying to think of words that could lead after that, then remembered the movie he was watching with (Y/N). "Someone on the TV, attempting love. Revolving doors, what will I become?" Then he thought of the yodeling pickle which made him stifle a giggle. The yodeling reminded him of the country for some reason. "A redneck song. Paid up for a seven. But he only got eight now, now. I feel that I'm paused, by all the pills. I see no wrong, yeah."

2D meant to continue playing the new song, but he couldn't think of any more lyrics. So, he decided to take a break for a moment and wrote down the lyrics he had made already with a pen that was lying on (Y/N)'s white desk and the back of the sticky note he had. He then placed the pen back to where it was and put the guitar back in its case. He didn't know what to do now, so he decided that it was best that he left. Mostly because he didn't want to be a burden to (Y/N), but also because he still wanted to be prepared for the concert, even if Damon would just take his place again. Just in case.

And just like that, 2D grabbed his things, such as the iPad and yodeling pickle, and left, remembering to lock the door as he left. At least he did one thing right.

After a scenic walk through the city to the hotel Murdoc was staying at, 2D tentatively knocked on the room door. Right on the first knock, the door swung open revealing a slightly fixed Cyborg, though the bullet hole was still in her head from when they recorded the Stylo video. Her sudden appearance startled 2D. He was afraid that she was going to shoot him, but she turned to the left and started walking towards the elevator, 2D watching her with cautious eyes.

"Face ache!" a voice too familiar to 2D shouted at him.

He let out a startled noise and turned to face Murdoc. "Yes, Murdoc, ser?"

Murdoc grabbed 2D by the back of the collar of the sweater he was wearing and started dragging him towards the elevator with somewhat incredible speed and strength. "We've gotta go, we 'aven't got all day."

"Wai'," 2D said confused and wide-eyed as his feet dragged across the hard, marble floor. "Where're we goin'? Wha's goin' on?"

"I'm gonna make sure that blasted 'band' of Damon's doesn' steal the show this time," Murdoc said. From his tone, 2D knew that he was grinning, and not the good kind of grin either.

2D gulped, feeling slightly scared. "An' 'ow're yew gonna do dat?"

Murdoc responded with a smirk on his face and an evil look in his eyes. "You'll see, boy. You'll see."


	11. Chapter 11

"Uh, Murdoc, why're we doin' dis exac'ly?" 2D said nervously tapping his fingers together while watching Murdoc cut the "fake" band's guitars' strings with a pair of wire cutters.

"Ta get rid of th' other band, ya dullard. Now 'elp by messin' with da digital recorda thing," Murdoc said, still turned around while cutting each wire one by one.

"Oh, awl righ' den," 2D said apprehensively then walked towards the digital recorder that made music have a bit more of an electronic touch to it. On his way over to the machine, he saw Cyborg Noodle destroying a drumset, her fist literally going right through the snare drum. She must have noticed that someone was watching, because she turned her head towards 2D, her cold, dead (As if they were alive to begin with.) eyes upon him. A foreboding shiver made its way down 2D's spine which made him turn and walk away from her glare. God, she was creepy in every way.

Once 2D finally reached his destination, he tried to think of the things he could do to sabotage the music maker. He didn't have any hammers on him at the moment, so that was out of the question. He didn't have any scissors either, so he couldn't cut the wires that were connected to it. Maybe there was something around him that he could use to probably make a hole in the thing. Like a chair or stool, for instance.

Luckily for him, but unluckily for the fake band, 2D found a good stool to use. It was off to the side and had a half empty water bottle sitting upon it. 2D, realizing that he was actually pretty thirsty, took a quick swig of it, not even emptying it, before throwing it carelessly away. An immediate sort of buzzing noise was heard from behind him, and he jumped slightly, turning around quickly only to slip on some of the water he had spilled since he didn't actually close the bottle. His rump made contact with the floor, but he wasn't so much as worried about the pain in his rear as he was about the sparks that flew off of the digital recorder. Looks like he didn't need that stool after all.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be here!" a foreign voice called out to the two men and the robot girl messing with the instruments.

"Bullocks," said Murdoc before taking off while yelling at Cyborg Noodle and 2D to run as well.

Cyborg was quick to follow, running at an inhuman speed to the exit where Murdoc had already left. 2D, on the other hand, kept tripping and slipping all over the place, the first time on the same spilt water, and the rest on wires and over his own feet, but he somehow made it out of the building without being caught which was a quite a surprise. That didn't stop him from running until he hit the sidewalk though. As he put his hands on his knees to steady himself as well as catch his breath, people who were walking by looked at him funny.

Once he finally caught his breath, he noticed how dark it had gotten. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, only about an hour or more so of daylight left. 2D licked his chapped lips and the sensation of something unpleasant made its way onto his tongue. It for some reason made him want to gorge on an excessively large pail of strawberry ice-cream. His lip had split from when he was tripping over the wires, and he must've face-planted one way or another, but he didn't recall. It was all pretty much a blur at this point because of the sheer panicked state he was in. Now that he was out of that frenzied state, he wondered where Murdoc had run off to. After all, he was pretty sure that Cyborg Noodle had his things since he didn't have time to put them in the hotel room.

"Ah, there ya are, lad," Murdoc said appearing behind 2D making him yelp, startled. Murdoc slung an arm over 2D's shoulders, a move that was very unlike Murdoc.

"Uh, hey, uh, Mudz."

"So, since tha' actually went smashingly," Murdoc made a weird chuckling sound in his nasally sounding voice. "I though' that we could, I dunno, hit up a local pub, drink a pint a rum, th' good stuff."

"A-Alrigh', if ya say so," 2D said. He did not know what to make of this situation. The last time Murdoc acted like this was years back before the death and/or disappearance of Noodle, the original Noodle. Although he still acted like quite the dick during those times, he didn't take out his frustration on 2D most of the time.

As they started walking down the street, Murdoc spoke to 2D again, "Also, I apologize for hittin' you oveh th' head. I admit i' was a bit much."

2D stared at Murdoc with big eyes. He was actually apologizing? To 2D especially? This was an incredibly rare sight, so rare I'm fact that 2D doesn't even remember a time when Murdoc apologized. 2D was about to respond with something positive, but Murdoc cut in before he had time to speak.

"Afteh all, you're the singah in my band. Where would I be without'cha?" Murdoc chuckled again.

"Yeah, yeah, 'course," 2D said despondently. There's the old Murdoc he knew. Why would he think that Murdoc would ever change? It's like what a famous person said one day, though 2D couldn't quite remember who. "People don't change. Only their costumes do." In retrospect, this was actually accurate to the past. Murdoc never really changed, but his skin color sure did change.

Before 2D knew it, the both of them were sitting on stools inside a cozy bar. He didn't even realize they had arrived since he was reflecting on the past and wasn't really paying attention to anything. How Murdoc even guided them their without much difficulty was strange. Knowing him, he's probably been to Seattle before and saw all the sights the city had to offer.

"I'll 'ave th' Havana Club and he'll have th' same," Murdoc said, nodding his head towards 2D.

"Comin' right up!" a pompous female bartender said, and may 2D just say, she had the biggest pair of tits he's ever seen. Just absolutely enormous that they almost seemed unreal. She must have wasted an incredible amount of money on plastic surgery to get those ginormous jugs. She could probably break a world record with them. "Here ya go!" She set down two shot glasses and poured the expensive looking rum inside both, all the while her cleavage was hanging in clear view in front of them. And 2D wasn't aroused in the slightest. He didn't really like this type of lady, most of her being plastic that was, a lot having to do with the fact that he spent a long time on a plastic beach. "Drink up boys," she said with a smirk.

Murdoc was immediately entranced with her boobs and scarfed down the shot like a rabid wolf. "Hit me again."

"My pleasure," she responded with a silky sounding voice as she poured Murdoc another shot. Meanwhile, 2D just had the small glass in his hand, swishing the drink around with a slightly bored and melancholic expression on his face. He didn't feel like drinking at the moment. It was as if his appetite had disappeared all at once.

"Murdoc, I fink I'm gunna go now," 2D said, finally deciding that he had enough of the smell of booze, stale air, and the sweat of other men who were in the bar as well.

"Bah, go on, spoilsport. I'm jus' gonna hang 'round 'ere and give lil' Miss Christine a bit o' company," he growled seductively as Christine, as he called her, started fanning herself as if she would faint from the sexiness in Murdoc's voice.

2D left his place on the stool, leaving the still full shot of rum on the counter. Murdoc would later drink that anyway, not like he'd let something like expensive rum go to waste. He walked out of the bar, fresh air filling his lungs. It was dark out, the sun having already set. It was probably around eleven or twelve by 2D's estimation. It was close to being the fourth day that he'd been in Seattle, and what a long four days it had been. There were three more days until the concert, then eighteen more concerts afterwards. Just the thought of going to all of them gave 2D a migraine. He wished that the tour was over already so he could just relax somewhere and take a break without having to worry about anything. 2D sighed. He hoped that day would come sooner rather than later.

Putting those wants aside, what 2D needed right now was a nap. And since 2D didn't want to look like a fool and go back inside the bar to ask for the hotel room key card, and he didn't know where in the hell Cyborg was, he decided to see if he could find (Y/N)'s apartment again. Hopefully, she was still there and not working at the moment. Now that 2D thought about it, he was rather abrupt when he left. Maybe she thought that he was rude and didn't want to see him again? That would be unfortunate indeed. He hoped that wouldn't be the case since he actually really liked her and she was his only friend here. And he hoped that she didn't notice that he played her guitar without permission.

2D had so many worries, but he all pushed them to the back of his mind, to lessen the intensity of the migraine.

 **Alrighty, finally finished with Chapter 11. Glad it's finally done. School and lack of motivation are along it harder to write, but I'm willing to deal with it until I finish this book :D**

 **Anywho, just for a little bit of insight, the concert began on November 2, 2010 which means that for 2D, it's currently, at 12 am, October 30, 2010. The October 30th concert was supposed to take place in Oakland, but that was most likely cancelled due to a hurricane striking the area then making a curve ball to the Pacific Ocean, so Seattle wasn't harmed. It only got a few strong winds, and that's it.**

 **So yeah, that's insight for ya :D**


End file.
